Comparative evaluation of highways and railroads using life-cycle benefit-cost analysis

被引:3
作者
Rattanakunuprakarn, Sarita [1 ,2 ]
Jin, Mingzhou [1 ,2 ]
Sussman, Michael [3 ]
Felix, Powell [4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Tennessee Knoxville, Dept Ind & Syst Engn, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA
[2] Univ Tennessee Knoxville, Inst Secure & Sustainable Environm, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA
[3] OnTrackNorthAmerica Inc, Philadelphia, PA USA
[4] Indiana Boxcar Corp, Connersville, IN USA
关键词
Benefit-cost analysis; highways; life-cycle assessment; railroads; sustainable transportation; TRANSPORT; LIGHT;
D O I
10.1080/15568318.2024.2411588
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
The transportation sector holds a substantial influence on our quality of life and the environment. In contrast to rail transport, road transport carries a heightened risk of environmental and social issues. These include, but are not limited to, congestion, accidents, community segregation and encroachment, air pollution, toxic releases, water and soil pollution, and impacts on wildlife vitality. With the surge in global freight volume, the heavy reliance on road transport and underutilization of railroads will prove inadequate to meet the escalating demand and exacerbate existing environmental and social concerns. Therefore, transportation investment evaluations must comprehensively and consistently consider environmental, social, and economic factors. This study develops a Life-cycle Benefit-Cost Analysis and an accessible tool to capture overall nationwide impacts across various stages of transport infrastructure and equipment life cycles. We compare highways and railroads, considering actual and maximum capacities, to identify the most cost-effective and sustainable investment. Our results show that trucking costs $370.07 per thousand ton-miles, 4.85 times higher than rail at $76.37 per thousand ton-miles. We also highlight further research needed to address the issues of data unavailability, limited metric scope, and computational method limitations.
引用
收藏
页码:803 / 826
页数:24
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